In Cruciatu Veritas
by Kleio the Muse
Summary: Sirius discovers that contrary to the proverb (in vino veritas) the truth lies not in wine but in pain. Takes place during the Order of the Phoenix.
1. Default Chapter

**Part I**

The sound of the doorbell was accompanied with the all too familiar string of curses.

"You stinking scum of the earth! Filthy traitor! Toerag!"

Sirius pulled the heavy curtain over the painting to silence his mother's screeches and opened the front door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Well, what d'you know? For once, my dear mother seems to have been right," he said with a grim smile. "Snape."

"Black."

Apart from the snowflakes in his hair and the paleness of his face, all was black about the man standing on the doorstep - a black turtleneck, black trousers and a long black leather coat that nearly swept the ground. This was certainly a suitable visitor to the house of Black, Sirius thought, but unwanted all the same.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked. "No one's here, you know. And shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?"

"Hogsmeade weekend," Snape said shortly, without any sign of the disappointment Sirius had expected, and stepped inside.

"How's Harry? I hope you haven't been giving him a hard time with the Occlumency classes?" It had been over a month since Sirius had seen his godson and the thought of him, spending his evenings with Snape, sickened him. "Because if you do..."

"We don't have time to discuss Potter now. I'm rather in a hurry and I want your help with something," Snape said, ignoring Sirius's threat and slamming the door shut. "Out in the back. Come."

Sirius couldn't believe the nerve of the man, that condescending, vile, arrogant, repulsive excuse for a man! As alluring as the thought of taking him on was, Molly would hardly appreciate the house being demolished in a duel. Since Sirius knew better than to piss her off intentionally, he took a deep breath and swallowed his anger.

"Sorry, I can't leave the house," he said lightly as Snape brushed past him, the black coat fluttering around him like a trail and the smell of leather filling the air. "Strict rules about that."

"And when have you been one to follow rules, Black?"

Sirius watched him march straight through the house to the back door, step out and let the door close behind him. After considerably less hesitation than he had intended, Sirius hurried after him.

Snape was waiting for him in the narrow alley behind the houses, where the rubbish bins were hidden from the public eye.

"You could have taken the time to dress first."

"I am dressed!" said Sirius, slightly offended. It was the middle of February and Sirius was shivering in his once-white T-shirt and worn-out jeans. Living inside the house for months on end made one forget there still was such a thing as weather. "And I thought this thing of yours couldn't wait."

"See that?" Snape asked, pointing at a crumpled newspaper on the ground, next to the rubbish bin.

"Unless I go blind, yes," Sirius replied, trying hard to keep his teeth from clattering.

"I have reason to believe it is a Portkey."

"And what might make you think that?" Sirius asked as he picked up the paper and started to straighten it out. "Look, it's just a Muggle paper. 'A postal strike'. I wonder if it means that they're dropping explosive letters on some poor sods, or that..."

"I'm certain that it is indeed a Portkey," Snape interrupted him and reached for the paper, "because I placed it there."

"Come again?" Sirius said, staring at Snape in disbelief.

But Snape now had his pocket watch in his hand and he started counting, "Three, two, one..."

The sudden jerk send Sirius flying through the air, his mouth opening to shout out a number of curses that even his mother would have found appalling, but he was unable to make a sound. Then, as quickly as they had been lifted, his feet were back on the ground and he found his voice again.

"...bloody twat!" he finished and, taking a look around, added, "Where the fuck are we?"

The stone walls were dripping with moist and the ceiling was low enough to touch. There were a few torches on the walls to give light to the room, and on each wall there was an archway, leading to new rooms, which Sirius could barely see from the darkness, but assumed identical to the one he was in. It was certainly a cellar of some sort, and a large one, judging by the echo that was still repeating 'fuck are we, fuck are we'. A cellar or perhaps...

"A dungeon," he said out loud.

"You always were such a bright boy, Sirius Black," said the voice behind him. "I bid you welcome to Malfoy Manor, or at least the lower parts of it."

Sirius whirled around to face Lucius Malfoy, who was slowly emerging from the shadows with a nasty smirk on his face. The platinum blonde hair flashed in the torchlight as Malfoy stopped in front of Snape and gave him a nod of recognition.

"Severus."

"Lucius," Snape said coldly and handed Malfoy the Portkey.

"I'm pleased to see you've succeeded in bringing our Master his gift, Severus."

"Rumours of Black's intelligence are greatly exaggerated," Snape said wryly.

"OI!" Sirius exclaimed, but was taken no notice of.

"The Dark Lord has agreed to leave Black to you, Severus. You'll have a chance to prove your loyalty to him, and I trust you shan't disappoint us."

"I shall be worthy of your trust." Snape bowed his head and Sirius could see a trace of smile on his lips. "As you are well aware of, Lucius, I am rather anxious to settle an old score with Black."

Malfoy returned the smile and glanced at Sirius with utmost contempt.

"I share your sentiments, Severus, believe me, I do. I wouldn't mind staying to watch." Malfoy walked up to Sirius and ran his slender finger down Sirius's face. But as the finger moved across his cheek, the gentle caress turned into a sharp nail, digging deep into his skin and, painfully slowly, scratching a long cut all the way down to his chin. Sirius's eyes watered from the pain, but he was determined not to let out a sound. Finally Malfoy pulled back and smiled. "However, I have agreed to allow Severus some privacy, and as there are far more pressing matters for me to attend to..."

"Places to go, people to kill?" Sirius said cheerfully, swallowing the tears. "All that evil needs a doer, eh?"

"Now, you must know that wasn't exactly wise," Malfoy said smilingly.

Snape had already raised his wand and was pointing it at Sirius when Malfoy stopped him.

"Oh, do let me, Severus." Malfoy's eyes were locked onto Sirius's. "I cannot let you steal all the fun, now can I? Crucio!"

Although he had been expecting it, the torturing curse hit Sirius hard and sent him screaming to the floor, where he lay convulsing and moaning in excruciating pain until Malfoy finally lowered his wand.

"Merely a little taste of what is yet to come," Malfoy said, sneering. He turned to leave and as he past Snape, he added, "Oh, and you will make sure that you leave no nasty marks on him, won't you, Severus? Those horrid little men at the Ministry can be so tiresomely pedantic."

Malfoy strode out of the room and Sirius heard him talk to someone, who had obviously been waiting in the darkness, covering his back. Then the footsteps receded and Sirius was left alone with Snape.

Lying on the floor, Sirius was searching frantically for anything that could be used as a weapon, but apart from a large table with strange looking winches at either end of it, the dungeon was quite empty. He saw Snape approaching, pointing at him with his wand.

"Dumbledore trusted you, you traitorous bastard!" Sirius cried, still shaking from the pain. "Should've known better. Once a Slytherin, always a bloody fucking creep!"

"Language, language," Snape said pleasantly. "Now, back on your feet, Black."

With more difficulty than he would have cared to have Snape witness, Sirius managed to push himself up. For a split second he considered whether it would be possible to do a runner as a dog, but Snape appeared to be reading his mind.

"No dogs allowed on the premises, I'm afraid," Snape said coldly. "Turn yourself into one and I will put you down like one."

Disappointed, Sirius imagined the first place he would have sunk his fangs into.

"So, the master calls and the strayed servant comes running back. Or did he ever leave at all?"

"That is no concern of yours," Snape said shortly. "All you have to worry about is how much pain one can endure."

"And I'm your ticket back to Voldemort's graces?" Sirius continued, ignoring the threats. "Honestly, I'm impressed that you lot think so highly of me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Black. You were simply the most convenient target. Do you honestly think anyone else would have come as quietly?" Snape sneered at him. "And you do have certain publicity value, of course. The Ministry of Magic will be proud to declare that the dangerous fugitive has been finally caught."

"By Lucius Malfoy, you mean."

"Precisely."

"Though unfortunately dead, I expect."

"'Died resisting arrest', I should think," Snape said, still grinning. "And, furthermore, there is the personal aspect. We all do have to pay for our doings, don't we, Black?"

"Over twenty years of open hatred isn't enough for you, is it?"

Snape's laugh sent shivers down Sirius's spine.

"How little you dogs understand human emotions!" he said scornfully. "I've enjoyed myself tremendously watching your pathetic little gang split apart. The kings of Hogwarts, and look at you now! The almighty Potter dead, the werewolf not far from starvation - so hard to find werewolf-friendly employers nowadays, isn't it? - and little Peter Pettigrew... Why, do come and greet your friend, Pettigrew. I know you're lurking there."

A tiny, grey man appeared under the shadowy archway and shambled nearer. Obviously this was the man Malfoy had been talking to, left there to keep an eye on them.

"Hello, Sirius," Pettigrew said nervously. His gaze was fixed on the floor as if he was afraid either one of the men could kill him with just one look.

"Still alive, Wormtail?" Sirius spat. "Do try and keep it that way - until we meet again."

It was immensely satisfying to see Pettigrew fidget.

"Enough," Snape said without taking his eyes off Sirius. "Now, sod off, you rat. I do not recall asking for an audience."

Clearly relieved, Pettigrew hurried back into the darkness. Sirius was almost sorry to see him go, since the man could have offered him the distraction he so desperately needed in order to attack Snape.

"And you, Black, if you would be so kind as to remove your shirt."

"You know, you really ought to work on your spells if they can't even penetrate cotton," Sirius said and lived to regret it as the Cruciatus Curse hit him again. The pain surged through him, gripping his every muscle, as if he was being eaten up from the inside. This time it seemed to last even longer and as the world blackened in his eyes, Sirius was certain he would meet his end right there on the floor, writhing in pain.

But the end was yet to come.

"Yep, that seems to work nicely," Sirius muttered after Snape had lowered his wand and his body had stopped convulsing.

"The shirt, if you please."

Still gasping for air, Sirius struggled to his feet and tore the T-shirt off his back, throwing it onto the floor. But just as it dropped from his hands, he saw a rope spurt out of Snape's wand and felt his wrists being tied together behind his back.

"I might have guessed you were into this bondage type of thing," Sirius said smilingly, although feeling anything but comfortable. "Well, it's no skin off my back, if you get off on my gorgeous body."

"Funny you should mention it, since the skin of your back is precisely what I had in mind," Snape said in a low voice as he walked closer. Then, standing face to face with Sirius, he brushed off the hair covering Sirius's eyes and added, "Among other things."

Sirius stared blindly into his eyes, wanting to show no concern for what was waiting for him. Whatever Snape had in mind, no matter how much pain was involved or how long it would last, Sirius was determined to just grin and bear it. He might not leave the dungeons alive, but he would leave with dignity, nonetheless. A stiff upper lip and all that bollocks.

"Lucius has graciously agreed to lend me this humble abode of his for as long as I might have need for it," Snape continued, dipping his finger in the cut on Sirius's cheek and examining the blood on it. Sirius watched his eyes light up and, with a wicked smile on his face, he started smearing Sirius's lips with the blood. Sirius tried to turn his head away, but Snape grabbed hold of his hair, forced his head back and whispered, "So, make it last, will you."

Before Sirius realised it, Snape's mouth was on his lips, sucking the blood off them so voraciously he nearly suffocated him. Sirius tried to fight him, but as his hands were tied and his head in Snape's tight grip, there was nothing he could do. After what felt like an eternity, Snape pulled away, licking his lips and seemingly enjoying the taste.

"You bastard!" Sirius hissed through his clenched teeth. Although he had just sworn to keep a stiff upper lip no matter what should lie ahead, Sirius honestly had not even considered that his lips might be physically involved. There were only so many things he was prepared to endure and being violated was certainly not one of them.

Quickly he weighed his options, and the urge to just make a break for it and die trying gained strong support, but there was still a part of him that refused to simply roll over and die. He did not want to allow Snape the pleasure of torturing him to death - or whatever it was he was planning to do to him - nor did he want to give him the satisfaction of proving him a coward.

The choice was easily made.

"Why, Snivellus, you intend to snog me to death?" Sirius forced a laugh. "An excellent try, I'll give you that, but I doubt whether a rubbish kisser ever actually killed anyone."

Sirius was quite pleased with himself when he saw the flash of anger in Snape's eyes. He grabbed a better hold of the back Sirius's head and dragged him by the hair over to the large table. With a nasty thump Sirius's face hit the wooden surface as he landed on his stomach, his legs left hanging over the end of the high table, his feet barely touching the floor.

"You will pay for that," Snape said, panting. "Just like you will pay for every rotten thing you ever did."

"I take it, this may take a while?"

"I'm hoping so, yes."

The ropes disappeared from Sirius's wrists and instead his hands were pulled over his head. He felt the coolness of the metal on his skin as the chains locked onto his wrists, and then the ropes were flying through the air again, though this time destined for his ankles, which were tied firmly to the table legs. Sirius was utterly unable to move.

"This place is filled with charming little gadgets such as this," Snape said as he turned the handle of the winch at the head of the table and Sirius could feel the chains tightening around his wrists. "Used in stretching the truth out of the victim. Oddly enough, our time seems to be rather opposed to this simple, yet most convenient apparatus." Snape gave a little sigh, as if he was missing the good old days. "In your case, however, we shall apply it to a slightly different purpose."

Snape mumbled something under his breath, and from the corner of his eye Sirius could yet again see something spurting out of his wand, though this time the rope seemed to grow narrower towards the end and split in two. Sirius concluded it to be a whip of some sort, but it was glowing as if it was on fire, or as if...

"This is for mocking my kissing skills, you wretched dog."

...it was fire. As the first lash burnt excruciatingly into his bare back, Sirius knew what it was, and his cry echoed throughout the dungeons.

"Nice Flamgellum you've got there," Sirius breathed through the waves of pain. He thought he smelt his flesh burning, but the next minute the smell was gone and only the agony remained. "Thought those things were banned some few hundred years ago."

"Such a pity, don't you think? It's quite marvellous, actually. Sufficiently painful, no numbing effect - you'll see that every lash is as painful as the first - and none of the restrictions, which one has with the Cruciatus - the victims going out of their minds and all that - and yet, leaves no marks on the skin. No need for the Ministry to know the circumstances in which your demise took place, now, is there?"

Sirius was almost grateful, when the second lash took his breath away, and Snape could not enjoy hearing him scream again.

"Now, that one," Snape said, his voice shivering slightly. "Remember the Balding Curse you so cleverly cast upon me in fifth grade?"

So, the man was still living in the past, Sirius thought, still hanging on to things that should have been nothing more than a distant memory. But evidently there were some wounds that would never heal, quite unlike the ones on Sirius's back. This would surely be a long and painful trip down memory lane, if Snape intended to whip him for every minor mischief he had ever been guilty of.

But Sirius would not submit to this, he would not give Snape the satisfaction. If Snape wanted to make it last, then last it would.

"Your hair grew back, didn't it?" Sirius said lightly, trying to hide the burning pain. "Grew back nice and greasy."

The next lash came swiftly enough.

"And this," Snape continued as the Flamgellum hit Sirius's back, "is for the extra armadillo bile you slipped into my Wit-Sharpening Potion the year before that."

Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and it took Sirius some time to get enough air into his lungs to speak.

"What was it James called you - Auberginus Snape?" Sirius gasped for air, tears streaming down his face. "Because you were as purple as, as..."

"An aubergine," Snape said coldly and put an end to Sirius's laughter with the Flamgellum. "This one... This is for the time you tried to feed me to the werewolf." And he added yet another lash.

The second lash hit right over the first and the pain was simply insufferable. The smell of burning flesh was stronger than before and Sirius felt sick. But what was more, this time the accusation had been an unjust one.

"You can't blame me for that," Sirius whispered without a trace of laughter. He was desperately trying to get his breath back but the pain kept him panting. "That wasn't the plan... James messed it up..."

"Oh, how noble. Pin it all on Potter, why don't you."

"Look, I'm telling you the truth!" Sirius cried out, ignoring the burning on his back and paying for it dearly. As his lungs were no longer working properly, speaking proved to be quite a challenge. "I never meant... for you to... to go that far..."

"Silence!" Snape shouted and his whip lashed yet again, sending Sirius nearly unconscious. "This is for the time you and Potter saw fit to humiliate me by floating me in the air with half the school watching."

The sight of Snape, dangling upside down, thrashing his skinny legs about, had been permanently imprinted in Sirius's mind, the unquestionable climax of which had come when James had conjured Snape's pants off, so that everyone could see his privates.

"We couldn't believe our eyes..." Sirius whispered feebly. The memory of it still made him chuckle, but the pain prevented him from laughing out loud. "You were... hung like a donkey..."

"And what exactly did I do to deserve to be treated like that? Nothing!" Snape said, his voice shaking with rage. "I was minding my own business, not even noticing you lot! But you sad bastards just wanted to get the girls to notice you, didn't you?"

"It wasn't my idea," Sirius protested weakly. "James wanted Lily to see him... I never..."

"Eager to shift the blame onto your deceased friend, aren't you, Black? Come now, you weren't that good-looking to get the girls simply by snapping your fingers. You had to do something and I was just conveniently in your way."

"What girls?!" Sirius shouted as loud as he could. He had always known that not everything was right about Snape, but now the man seemed to have gone completely mad. "When did you ever see me with a girl?"

"You may find it inconceivable, but keeping record of your conquests wasn't my favourite pastime." Snape walked around the table into Sirius's view, tapping his chin with his wand. "But come to think of it, I never did see you with anyone except your little gang."

"They were all I had." Sirius was breathing heavily, the words sticking to his throat. "And why would I need to impress my friends by playing stupid tricks on you?"

"Perhaps you were, in fact, trying to impress one of them."

"What?"

Even without the pain on his back, Sirius would have found it hard to follow Snape's train of thought. If the man was out to get his revenge, then what the hell was he asking him all this for? So far Sirius had thought Death Eaters were just plain evil but, apparently, the Dark Side made them bonkers as well.

"Yes, I sort of suspected that that was the case," Snape said maliciously. "So, you and Potter, was it? And such a lovely couple, too."

"What?!"

Yes, definitely insane, Sirius thought. He wondered whether it was the humidity of the dungeons that had finally reached Snape's brain, or perhaps he had just changed sides once too often and messed up his mind for good. Or bad. Or whatever. Apparently he was losing his own train of thought as well.

"But surely you must have been having it off with someone?" Snape asked innocently. "Unless... Oh, no. Don't tell me it was the werewolf? Now, that would make an interesting scenario, opens up whole new possibilities, a wolf and a dog."

"Have you gone mad?" Sirius wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. "What the fuck has that got to do with anything?"

"Touched a nerve there, I take it," Snape said, evidently pleased with himself.

Shaking with anger, Sirius struggled in his chains. He wanted to hit and kick and maim and cripple, but the chains would not give in an inch. This sudden interest in his teenage sex life was disturbing enough as it was without dragging Moony into it. It had been ages ago, for fuck's sake! And why would Snape give a toss about whom he had been sleeping with?

The answer was obvious enough. Snape was clearly losing his marbles, even forgetting the whipping as he dwelt on the past. Sirius wondered whether he could use the man's derangement to his advantage. At least the whip stayed away as long as the conversation stayed on the subject, so Sirius thought it best to go along with it and keep Snape talkative. After all, Snape had specifically asked him to make it last.

"If you find my sex life so intriguing, I'll have you know that I've shagged probably ten people in my life and all of them before my years in Azkaban," Sirius said, his voice failing him at times. "And after that... Well, it's quite hard to pull, y'know, when you're a wanted homicidal maniac. By now, even Kreacher's starting to look appealing..." Sirius paused, realising he had drifted a bit too far. "So, there. Had enough?"

"The house elf?" Snape asked, pretending to be surprised. "I thought you mind have found the Dementors more to your taste."

"No, not really my type. Though I bet they're still hell of a lot better kissers than you. Unlike you, they've had plenty of practise and..."

The world blackened in Sirius's eyes as the inevitable whip lash sounded through the dungeons. There was no way he would win this, nothing he did would make any difference, and he certainly would not be able to keep his tongue under control. What chance did he have against an insane Death Eater armed with a Flamgellum?

To his surprise a low laughter followed the scream of pain, and Sirius realised it was coming from him.

"I find it hard to see anything amusing in your current situation, Black."

But Sirius was howling with laughter, wriggling in the chains, unable to control himself any longer.

"Severus Snape... is questioning me... about my, my, my... sex life!" he stuttered, laughing almost hysterically.

"I assure you, I have no interest whatsoever in your sexual activities," Snape said sharply.

"Severus Snape... questioning me about my, my..." Sirius couldn't utter the word any more and simply giggled. "Whipping me to death... Severus Snape... of all the people... this is unbelievable... so... fucking... unbelievable!"

Snape walked up to him and pulled Sirius's head up harshly, the chains tightening around his wrists and cutting through his skin.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Snape asked in a strained voice, evidently about to lose his patience.

"You want to know?" Sirius managed to say between fits of laughter. "You really want to know?"

"Yes!" Snape shouted and slammed Sirius's head back onto the table. "What?!"

"Oh, you'll get such a kick out of this one," Sirius said, still chuckling. "You talked about that night, under the Whomping Willow, but you don't know the half of it, mate... My plan, my plan was..." He broke into a fit again. "My plan was that you go inside, catch a glimpse of Moony and, scared shitless, come running out..." He was pissing himself laughing. "And I'd be waiting for you and making sure Moony wouldn't touch you, and then I'd be, I'd be..." His voice drifted into laughter. "I'd be all gallant and heroic and comforting. And here you are, the cause of it all, whipping me with your Flamgellum. What a laugh!" He stopped to get his breath back, only to have another hysterical fit come over him.

Snape was silent for a while, just staring down at Sirius with disdain, until he said, "Do you honestly expect me to believe any of this fabrication?"

"That's what was supposed to happen," Sirius said, trying to calm down. "But James didn't understand, of course he didn't, so he came and messed it all up."

Now it was Snape's turn to laugh.

"Oh, I see! Little Sirius Black wanted to play the hero, to rise from the shadow of the great Potter, only to be shoved even further into oblivion." Snape barked with laughter. "Poor, pathetic Black!"

Snape's stubborn reluctance to believe him annoyed Sirius, but he could not think of a way to prove the man that he was, in fact, telling him the truth in all its wretchedness. Suddenly a movement in the corner of the room caught Sirius's attention. Something small and grey was working its way towards the table, stopping at every shadow and then scurrying across the empty floor.

"Ask Peter," he said. "He knew I fancied you, just ask him and he'll tell you. Hello there, Wormtail!"

Snape looked down and evidently saw what Sirius was seeing: a long tail that disappeared underneath the table.

"That blasted rat!" Snape got quickly onto his knees and crawled under the table. "Spying on me, are you, you filthy vermin?"

Sirius was starting to calm down and, to his horror, he realised the significance of the words he had been idiotic enough to let escape. His mouth had just kept shooting out secrets he had spent half his life guarding and soon he would have to pay a dear prize for his stupidity. What in the name of all that was good and decent had compelled him to reveal himself to Snape?

Not being able to see him but hearing the curses, Sirius reckoned that Wormtail had managed to slip through Snape's fingers.

"If I see you sneaking around one more time, I swear the Dark Lord will lose his servant in a hideous mouse trap accident!" Snape shouted into the darkness as he straightened up at the foot of the table. "Now, where were we?"

"As far as I can recall, you were about to kill me and join the Dark Side," Sirius said, the laughter now far gone.

"No, I believe I was mentioned in another context, altogether," came the cold voice from behind him. "You claim to have fancied me, was it?"

"Ah, yes, that." Sirius didn't know how he had managed to end up in such a mess, let alone how to get himself out of it. "But that was a lifetime ago. I was a horny teenager with notoriously poor taste in men."

To Sirius's surprise the lash never came.

"Am I to understand, that you nearly got me killed only because you wanted to play the gallant knight?" Snape asked, his voice colder than ever.

"You're right, I'm such a cliché, so feel free to whip me. This time I think I actually deserve it."

But the pain stayed away. Instead, Sirius was sure he felt Snape leaning closer over his buttocks, his wand tapping the side of the table and his breath sweeping over Sirius's back.

"So, all those pranks and jokes were simply your bizarre way of telling me that you fancied me?"

The sarcasm was dripping from every syllable.

"Yes, it was all done just to get your attention," Sirius said bluntly. He couldn't help but wonder why people this thick were allowed to live. There should have been a law that anyone over certain level of thickness was to be executed for the greater good.

"And I suppose Potter shared your feelings?"

"No, he genuinely disliked you." Sirius was starting to think that swallowing his tongue would be the only escape from this mess he had made. How the hell could it have seemed like a good idea to spill his guts at a time like this? Dying by his tongue would be an act of poetic justice. "Haven't we already established that I'm a twat and deserve to be whipped to death? What are you waiting for?!"

"And now?" Snape asked, and Sirius was certain he heard some hesitation in his voice.

"Now I say goodbye to this cruel world. And I do mean cruel."

"No, you silly git." The hesitation was gone and the sarcasm had returned. "Do you still fantasise about saving me from werewolves?"

"For fuck's sake, Snape!" Sirius shouted, the frustration getting intolerable. "Haven't you received your revenge already? You and Malfoy can have a hearty laugh on my expense. What more do you want from me?"

However, Snape appeared not to be listening.

"Let us say..." Sirius felt him press against his buttocks. "...I shag you right here and now. "

"You _what_ me?"

Sirius gasped for air. He must have heard him wrong, or otherwise this was getting way, way too absurd.

"It has been long for you, hasn't it, Black? 'Shag', as in take you. Here. Now."

"This can't be happening, it just can't be..." Sirius was banging his head against the table. So, this was where it had all been leading. First the kissing, then applying the stretching table to 'a slightly different purpose' and finally the disturbing curiosity about his sex life - it had all led to this. Obviously, Snape had decided not to settle for physical pain, when there were plenty of other injuries he could cause. Again, Sirius banged his head against the table. "What more do you want from me?"

"Not to bang yourself senseless, for a start. That is my privilege," Snape said and the innuendo was clear enough. "So, what would you say if I took you right here? Do you still find me... attractive?"

Sirius was convinced he was about to go out of his mind. It was obvious Snape was mocking him, doing his best to humiliate him in every conceivable way, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop him. He would die on that table, so what did any of it matter anymore? Oh, bollocks!

"Look, if you must know, you're standing right where I always wanted you - not that I had enough imagination for all this..." Sirius rattled his chains. "And sometimes it was the other way around and you were..." His mind was drifting alarmingly far from the point. "Anyway, if you must know," he repeated, "then yes, I still fancied you, when you showed up on my doorstep in that coat, all that black leather... I tell you, if it hadn't been for the cold weather..." Sirius's head hit the table with a loud thud. "But I can assure you, all that has changed since then! You make me sick, you bloody wanker!"

Sirius closed his eyes, hoping death would come swiftly to release him from any more ridicule, and most importantly, from a fate far worse than death. He had a definite feeling that Snape could quite well do it, take him, as he himself put it, right then and there, to hurt him more than any whip ever could and to show Sirius just how much he loathed him.

The number of times Sirius had pictured them, imagined what Snape would feel like inside him... But this had absolutely nothing to do with those images. This would be done with nothing but hatred and scorn and disgust.

Sirius shuddered to think just how perverted he was to have fancied someone like Snape, for if the man was capable of doing something so despicable, what the fuck had Sirius seen in him in the first place?

"So, you like the coat?" Snape asked, confusing Sirius even more.

"Yeah," he managed to say. "Makes you look all dark and terrifying."

"That was my intention."

Yep, that was it, dark and terrifying and incredibly smug. That was what Sirius had found so appealing in the man. He felt sick.

Sirius flinched as he felt Snape's hands move on his buttocks.

"And I like these jeans," said Snape quite casually, as if they were chatting in rather different circumstances.

"Thanks. I'm quite attached to them." This was getting a bit too surreal for Sirius. "Tell you what? They're yours after I'm dead. That shouldn't take too long."

"They look better on you," Snape said and gave Sirius's arse a long squeeze that nearly made him scream.

The man had evidently decided to milk it to the last drop before giving him the final blow, but Sirius did not know how much more he could take. Snape's hands just kept on caressing his arse and the waiting was becoming unbearable.

"Can't you just Avada Kedavra me already and be done with it?" Sirius asked tiredly.

But Snape did not seem to hear him and the rubbing on his arse continued. Sirius banged his head once more to the table, as hard as he could, and then lay motionless, hoping Snape would think him unconscious and, the fun being over, just throw the final spell on him. Provided, of course, the sick bastard had no further perversions up his sleeve.

He felt Snape back away and suddenly the ropes around his ankles were gone. Still not wanting to let the man know he was conscious, Sirius kept his eyes shut and his legs limp. Snape was now at the head of the table and Sirius heard his wand tap on metal before the chains snapped open.

"Up!"

Startled by Snape's voice, Sirius pushed himself up and tried to stand, but his legs gave in immediately and he collapsed on the floor.

"Come on now, Black. Up!" Snape said as he grabbed his arm and helped him to stand.

Propped safely against the table, Sirius finally dared to meet Snape's eyes and looked at him as defiantly as he could, though failing miserably. He felt naked without his shirt on, ashamed of his pale and scraggy body. And yet, there was no trace of the contempt and resentment he had grown accustomed to see on Snape's face.

Snape still had his arm around him and Sirius was just about to say that he didn't need his help anymore, that his legs were gaining strength again, but he was silenced by Snape's hand at the back of his head, pushing its way into his matted hair and taking a strong hold of it by the roots.

"You complete and utter git," Snape whispered, his dark eyes boring into Sirius's.

But before Sirius could return the compliment, Snape pressed his lips softly on his. The kiss was long and hungry and Sirius felt his knees giving in again.

"You mean I could have been doing this all these years? Snape mumbled when he finally pulled back. "I hate you, Black."

"I hate you, too," Sirius replied automatically and, without thinking, opened his mouth to receive the second kiss.

Snape was sucking the last trace of reason out of him, but by now, Sirius was more than happy to abandon all that rubbish and let the absurdity of the situation take him over. He figured that he must have managed to bang himself unconscious after all, since this surely couldn't have been Severus Snape saying those words, kissing him with such tenderness. Sirius decided to make the most of the last dream he was likely to ever have and let his hands wander inside the leather coat and grab hold of the arse he had been fantasising about for the better part of his life.

"Black, I'll have to chain you again," Snape said suddenly and pulled away. "I forgot about the rat, Pettigrew will go straight to Malfoy. We must hurry."

Sirius returned back to reality with a jump. Still not quite sure whether the snogging had been a dream or just part of Snape's devious plan to humiliate him even more, Sirius now knew what he had to do. And as Snape turned his back to reach for the chains, Sirius pushed him onto the table and snatched the wand from his hand. In an instant, the ropes were flying through the air and tying Snape to the table.

"So, mind telling me what the fuck is going on here?!" Sirius said, looking at the peculiar bundle of ropes going all the way across Snape's chest, over his arms, and around the table.

"Black, you fool!" Snape shouted, struggling furiously in the ropes. "Untie me at once! We don't have time for this, Malfoy could come at any moment and Moody..."

"Moody?" Sirius walked closer, twirling the wand in his hand. "And what the hell has Moody got to do with this?"

"Will you just let me go and I can explain everything!"

"Oh, no-no-no," Sirius said shaking his head. "You can explain it right from where you are."

"It was all a plan, and not mine, I assure you." Snape's face was turning redder than Sirius had ever seen it, his eyes flashing through the locks of hair. "Moody's upstairs gathering information on the contacts of the Death Eaters, and he's supposed to bring us the Portkey, so that..."

"Bollocks!" Sirius exclaimed. "How the hell would Moody get into Malfoy Manor? And what about me? One minute you're trying to kill me and next you're snogging me! For fuck's sake, pick a side! Are you a Death Eater or..."

"May I speak?!" Snape's face was nearly as purple as after the aubergine potion. "Moody _is_ here, he came with us, wearing the Invisibility Cloak, but all that can wait. Black, you must listen to me! You must let me go, for if Malfoy finds us like this, we will never get out of here alive!"

Sirius was shaking his head violently. None of it made any sense and every bone in his body was telling him not to trust anything that came out of Snape's mouth. Feverishly he paced around the table, staring at his feet. All of a sudden something caught his eye.

"You fucking rat!" he shouted as he ran after Wormtail, who had just disappeared through one of the archways. The rat had seen everything that had happened between him and Snape... Sirius let out a stifled roar. "Now I'll get you, you bastard!"

"No, Black! Come back here! You mustn't..." Snape cried, but his voice trailed away as the black dog dashed into the darkness.

- End of Part I -


	2. Part II

**Part II**

Easily enough, the black dog picked up Wormtail's scent and raced through the dungeons. At least some good will come from this, Sirius thought as he made yet another sharp turn in the dark, banging his side painfully against the stone wall. That rat would finally pay for his crimes and Sirius would get his revenge; a much more justified one than what Snape had attempted.

The thought of Snape touching him, kissing him, still lingered on in his mind. No matter which way he looked at it, the whole thing made absolutely no sense at all. What the hell was he up to? First acting as if he had returned to the Dark Side, then humiliating Sirius by digging up that old load of rubbish, and then - the most disturbing thing of all - snogging him and saying those words... And finally coming up with this far-fetched story about a plan, with Mad-Eye Moody conveniently under the Invisibility Cloak so that he couldn't be seen! It was all a heap of lies. Of course, it was. Never trust a Slytherin.

Sirius came to a halt. He was suddenly picking up more than one scent, all unmistakably rats, and as trained as his nose was, it proved impossible to distinguish one rat from the next.

"Fuck!" he cursed as he turned back into a man. "Lumos."

The archways continued in every direction and he had no idea where to go. There had to be a way out of this maze and he would bloody well better find it before Wormtail would reach Malfoy, who, in turn, would send the Death Eaters after him, one of them in particular probably rather pissed off.

Sirius wandered from one room into the next, all of them dark and empty, and leading to new, identical rooms. The cold was starting to get to him again and made him miss his T-shirt.

After a while of aimless roaming, he saw a light up ahead and picked up his pace. But as he approached the light, Sirius suddenly realised it was moving and hurried to turn out his own. As quietly as he could, he sneaked towards it and saw the figures of four men walking quickly through the dark rooms. Sirius followed them until they reached a lighted space, which he soon recognised as the one he had left Snape in. He eased himself as close to the archway as he could without being seen.

"Severus, this truly is a disappointment."

"This is embarrassing enough as it is, Lucius." Snape's voice was harsh. "That bastard Black caught me off guard. We must find him and make him pay."

Hearing this, Sirius flinched. So, Snape had indeed picked his side; it had all been a mere charade. Sirius squeezed the wand in his hand. Calling him a bastard! Oh, no-no-no, he thought, Snape was gravely mistaken, for it would most certainly be he who would pay.

"Oh, we will," Malfoy said coldly. "Crabbe, Goyle, search the dungeons. Since only I am able to find the door, he must still be here."

Sirius pulled deeper into the shadows as the two large men marched past him. Malfoy and Wormtail were still standing by the table Snape was tied to, the latter looking a whole lot more confident than he had done only a while ago. Evidently standing in the shadow of men more powerful than himself suited the likes of Wormtail.

"If you'll just untie me, Lucius, I will gladly help..."

"That won't be necessary, Severus," Malfoy interrupted him. "You have failed, and you do know what that means, don't you?" It sounded as if Malfoy had known to expect this and perhaps even wished for it.

"Yes, Lucius."

Sirius saw the ropes untangle and, holding his breath, he watched Snape get up and calmly take off his leather coat and sweater. Submissively he bent over the table, propping his arms against it, and stood there, motionless, waiting.

"You know, Severus, I feared something such as this might occur," Malfoy continued as he strode behind Snape. "You always were somewhat soft on Black, weren't you?"

"Yes, Lucius."

"Pray, tell me you at least managed to have your way with him?" Malfoy said scornfully. "That is what you had intended, wasn't it, Sodomus?"

Sirius heard Wormtail snigger at the name, but somehow he saw nothing funny about the fact that Snape had indeed planned to rape him.

But in that case, why the fuck had he let him go? Why had he not just shagged him? Surely it would have been far satisfying to 'have his way with him' when Sirius was still in chains, and not to offer him a chance to escape, which Sirius had, in fact, made use of. Or had Snape been so convinced that Sirius would consent to whatever he had in mind, that... But that made no bloody sense at all! His consent meant nothing to Snape; it was not what he was after. But then, why had Snape kissed him and said...?

"You poor sod! Yet again fooled by that bastard Black!" Malfoy laughed. "You are such a sad little man, aren't you, Severus? And you always will be."

Sirius could not believe his eyes. Snape stood quite still, listening quietly to Malfoy's insults. Not once had he objected or talked back the way Sirius would have expected. Had he no pride?

"I believe ten would suffice."

"Yes, Lucius."

Sirius jumped as the Flamgellum hit Snape's back.

There was no scream, no other sound than that of the whip and the burning flesh. One minute the cut on Snape's back blazed bright red, and the next minute it was gone, the skin as white as ever and seemingly uninjured. Sirius couldn't see Snape's expression from where he was standing, but the malicious smile on Malfoy's face broadened with every lash. He clearly enjoyed causing Snape pain, and Sirius wondered how many times had this been done before.

But the scene was not as entertaining as Sirius would have anticipated. Somehow, watching Snape suffer gave him no satisfaction at all and, instead, he found himself oddly uncomfortable, almost disgusted by the sight.

Without realising it, Sirius started to count the lashes: TWO - he suddenly remembered the smell of leather in the air right before Snape had kissed him - THREE - the kiss had been so passionate, far too much so to be given by a man about to kill him - FOUR - 'you mean I could have been doing this all these years' - FIVE - he had tasted so sweet and the leather had smelled so sexy and those words had sounded so... - SIX - oh-bloody-bugger-shit-fucking-hell-no!

"Stupefy!"

Malfoy collapsed to the floor, still holding his wand, for a brief moment the Flamgellum burning at the end of it and then disappearing. But Wormtail proved quicker once more, and Sirius only caught a glimpse of the rat as it ran through one of the archways.

Snape's wand was shaking in Sirius's hand, pointing at its owner who lay panting on the table. Cautiously, Sirius closed on him, still not quite certain whether Malfoy and Wormtail had been his only enemies in the room.

"Six? You waited until six before coming to my rescue?" Snape's voice was furious, and yet Sirius thought he saw a trace of smile when he reached the table.

"Hey, I'm not even sure you deserve to be rescued!" Sirius said but, nevertheless, offered his support to help him stand up. "I don't give a toss about you, but I want to know what all that bollocks about Moody..."

"Fuck!" Snape cried out and startled Sirius, who had never heard him use such foul language. "We must hide, now!"

Staggering slightly, Snape hurried to grab his sweater from the floor and ran through one of the archways. His T-shirt seeming to have disappeared from the corner he had thrown it into, Sirius slipped into the leather coat Snape had left behind and followed the man out of the room. But just as he reached the next room, he felt a pull on his sleeve and was hurled against the wall.

"We mustn't go far," Snape whispered as he pulled the turtleneck over his head. "This is where Moody expects to find us, but this is also where Crabbe and Goyle will eventually return. We should be able to Stun them from here."

"And why should I believe anything you say? You know, I still don't quite understand why..."

Snape's one hand covered his mouth, the other snatched the wand from him, and he whispered, "We don't have time for this, Black. You will just have to trust me. I assure you, that I have picked my side years ago."

For some reason, that did not put Sirius at ease. He wanted to scream and shout and swear and get the answers he needed, but there was something stopping him, something other than Snape's hand. Perhaps he had banged his head a bit too hard.

They stood in the dark for a good while, sometimes hearing a clank here and a thump there, but seeing no one. Snape was not looking satisfied and his uneasiness was contagious. Sirius found it extremely hard to stay put when there were Death Eaters on the loose, and especially one particular rat. He couldn't understand what they were waiting for, why they didn't go looking for Moody - that is, if he really was there at all - and, with any luck, kill a few bastards along the way. But instead, they just stood there and waited.

Finally Sirius could not hold his tongue any longer.

"Shouldn't we split up and go search for..."

Snape's hand silenced him once more, but this time it pressed harder against Sirius's mouth and Sirius could feel it shake slightly. The torchlight reflected in Snape's eyes and for a moment Sirius just stared at him, unable to take his eyes off of his. The man was so close to him that Sirius could feel his heart beat, faster and faster, the hand now juddering over his mouth. Without the faintest idea of what he was doing, Sirius reached to pull the hand slowly away, letting the fingertips brush gently over his lips. Snape's mouth opened as if to talk, but no sound seemed to be coming out. The light was still glowing in his eyes and Sirius could simply no longer stop himself. He pulled Snape into a soft kiss just to have a taste of his lips once more before the end and know that he had not imagined it all.

But Snape's respond was much stronger, violent even, as his tongue forced its way into Sirius's mouth and his teeth bruised Sirius's lips. Snape pushed him hard against the wall, capturing him between himself and the cold stones, and kissed his breath away.

"Did you hear that?" Snape asked abruptly, pulling away from Sirius, but he might as well have asked Sirius his name and would have received the same reply.

"Dunno."

Sirius honestly did not know anything anymore.

"Moody!" Snape exclaimed and stormed back into the lighted room.

Trying hard to get his breath back, Sirius followed him but stopped under the archway, unable to believe his eyes.

There was Mad-Eye Moody, or more accurately, Moody's head, hovering in mid-air and looking rather cross.

"You two!" Moody growled. "Where the hell have you been? Hurry before it's..."

And the head disappeared.

"Too late." Snape stared at the pocket watch in his hand and let out a muffled roar. "We missed the Portkey!"

Sirius had regained the use of his legs and slowly he strode into the room.

"That was the Portkey that was supposed to get us out of here, right?" he asked and waited for Snape to nod. "And now we're stuck in here with the Death Eaters?"

"Yes."

"And I remember Malfoy mentioning something about the door being bewitched," Sirius continued. "So, no chance of getting out through that, either?"

"No."

"I see."

All that had happened, all that he had done, was flashing before Sirius's eyes. Had he believed Snape from the start and had he not tied him to the table and gone after Wormtail, or had he at least caught the bleeding rat, they would not be here now.

"That paranoid fool! Why the hell did he have to wait until the last minute to take his hood off, so that we could see him?" Snape muttered to himself as he paced around the room.

Or perhaps he had, Sirius thought, but they had been otherwise engaged at the very moment. He did not think it necessary to point this out to Snape, though.

Snape stopped, leant his head against the wall and closed his eyes, the silent curses almost audible to Sirius, whose name, along with Moody's, undoubtedly popped up quite a few times.

"I suppose, making a new Portkey isn't a possibility?" Sirius asked cautiously.

Snape gave a hollow laugh, obviously far past caring about the Death Eaters, still lurking somewhere in the dungeons.

"One does not merely 'make' a Portkey out of Malfoy Manor, " he said scornfully. "This place is nearly as well protected as Hogwarts. Only Lucius can penetrate the shields, and thus he was the one to 'make' the Portkey. As for me, I simply modified it; turned it into a return ticket, if you please." Snape paused, opening his eyes. "In fact, I made two Portkeys out of here, in the event that something such as this should occur."

"Two?" Sirius had a sudden urge to snatch the wand from Snape's hand and turn him into a slug. "So, what the fuck are we waiting for?"

"Waiting?" Snape repeated, his voice now ice cold. "Let me see... Moody just transported himself out of here, so it is safe to assume that the Portkey is with him and rather far away from us, is it not?" Snape waited for Sirius to nod, evidently not noticing that he was now considering resorting to Muggle means and giving Snape a good, hard thrashing. "However, Moody should have left part of that paper behind, namely the Backup Portkey, which is set to activate two hours after the first one. Now, I wonder if you can spot it?"

Grinding his teeth, Sirius glanced around. Apart from the torturing table and the Stunned Malfoy lying next to it, the room was as empty as before. Shaking his head he turned back to Snape, who was just standing there, so bloody cool and unconcerned. Sirius felt a fist growing where his hand had used to be.

"Precisely." But Snape's coolness was starting to wear off and instead he was shaking as if ready to burst into flames at any moment. "That bloody oaf! That pillock! That..."

"So," Sirius cut in, trying to quieten him down, "Moody screwed up."

"Indeed." Snape pressed his head back against the wall, his eyes closed once more.

Sirius let his fist open, deciding to apply it to someone else instead; provided, of course, he would ever get back to Grimmauld Place and get his hands on Moody. Strangely enough, he found himself homesick for the first time in his entire life.

"And now we just stand here and wait to be butchered?"

"To put it vulgarly, yes."

"Well, if we're going to get killed anyhow," Sirius said, picking up Malfoy's wand from the floor, "then I intend at least to put up a bit of a fight. Lumos."

Sirius walked straight out of the room and into the darkness, holding the wand up to light the way. He could hear Snape hiss something after him but there was nothing he could do to stop himself. There was still a slight chance of killing Wormtail, and even though he would probably get killed in the process, Sirius considered it to be well worth the risk.

He did not get far, however, before he came across a body, lying limp on the floor; the man had been Stunned, no question about it. Sirius grabbed him by his feet and started dragging him.

"Looks like Moody managed to do something right, after all," he said, when he returned to the lighted room and heaved Crabbe's heavy body on top of Malfoy's.

But there was no answer. The room was empty.

Sirius was just about to let out a roar of anger for trusting a Slytherin against his better knowledge when Snape appeared from an archway, likewise dragging someone after him.

"Goyle's Stunned as well," he said, panting. "And I'm quite certain I past Pettigrew on my way. Third room in that direction."

Sirius ran to the archway Snape was pointing at and returned not long after with Wormtail's unconscious body and a broad smile.

"Some man, that Moody - he even got the rat! Must be that eye of his," said Sirius triumphantly as he shoved him to join the rest of the Death Eaters. He stooped down to take a good look at the traitor and spat into his face, "Rot in Azkaban, mate."

As he turned his head from Wormtail, Sirius caught a glimpse of his T-shirt under the table and crawled to retrieve it. But when he straightened himself again, the shirt was not the only thing he was holding.

"I take it, this is the Backup Portkey," he said, handing Snape the Sports section of what he recognised as the same Muggle paper that had whisked them there in the first place.

"That, that..." Evidently Snape had run out of insults to throw at Moody. "What is this, a game of hide and seek?! Did that imbecile honestly think I would go crawling under tables on my hands and knees?" Snape was shaking the Sports section as if picturing it to be Moody, and yet he seemed more pleased than he had been a short while ago. After all, Moody had managed to Stun all the Death Eaters and to leave the Backup Portkey behind, so there was still a chance that they would get out of there in one piece. Sirius was actually feeling rather cheerful.

"This is quite disturbing, I must say," Sirius said, still staring at the paper Snape was mishandling. "I mean, Sports? Why, Snape, is this a whole new side of you that's opening up before my eyes?"

Snape grimaced at him and Sirius knew better than to pursue the subject.

"How the hell didn't anyone hear that peg leg of his?" he asked quickly, sitting down on the edge of the table.

"I cast a very powerful silencing spell on it, no one would have heard a thing." Snape said as he paced back and forth, the Sports section clenched in his hand. "Including us, as it appears."

"So, I take it, Dumbledore was in on this?"

"Yes," Snape said uneasily, "but as far as he knew, you agreed to this."

"Oh, did I? Well, I bloody well might have, if you'd bothered to ask!" Sirius exclaimed, though knowing quite well why he had not been told. He could not help but wonder, just how much of an idiot did Dumbledore take him for, if he had thought that Sirius would actually agree to be tortured by Snape?

"I have been trying to get into Lucius's favour since last summer," Snape continued, "but when I came close to succeeding, he demanded a token of my loyalty - namely you. Handing you over to the Ministry would have increased both the Ministry's and Malfoy's power, since that nitwit Fudge still maintains that the Dark Lord is gone. But since Dumbledore so stubbornly refused to sacrifice you, Moody came up with this." Snape stopped by the table and threw the crumbled paper onto it. "Dumbledore did not like it, but something had to be done, with Weasley being attacked and the Death Eaters escaping from Azkaban. "

"So, you would have been quite willing to hand me over to Malfoy, eh?"

"On a platter."

Snape was leaning over the table with his back to Sirius, who felt a sudden urge to kick him in the arse but swallowed his anger, thinking that, most likely, he would have done exactly the same.

The plan itself, however, had not been half as bad as Snape seemed to think. Only the part about Sirius being chained and tortured could have used some polishing.

"I just hope Moody found something useful," Sirius said, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice. "I'd hate to think this was all for nothing."

"As do I. This was my last visit to Malfoy Manor," Snape said quietly.

Sirius could not see his face behind the black hair, but the disappointment in Snape's voice was clear enough.

"It was bound to happen in any case," Snape continued, "Lucius was always wary, and even more so as things progressed. I seriously doubt whether he ever believed my not being a member of the Order, particularly after I refused to tell him where to find you. I even had to resort to Muggle transport today to get rid of those two." Snape pointed at Crabbe and Goyle.

Stroking the black leather coat he was still wearing, Sirius now understood why Snape had appeared on his doorstep in such unusual attire. He was strangely reluctant to take the coat off, and as long as Snape did not specifically ask for it, he was more than happy to keep wearing it, fiddling with the T-shirt in his hands as if about to put it on but never quite managing it.

"Never set your foot inside anything red with two decks," Snape added gravely and seemed to shudder from the mere memory. "Horrendous."

He paused and Sirius heard him swallow hard, but judging by the bitter tone in which he continued, it was not due to the omnibus ordeal.

"I am no longer of any use to the Order. Utterly useless, quite like you."

"Oi!"

But Sirius knew he was simply stating the truth. For over six months he had been lurking in his mother's house, cleaning Doxies off the curtains, whereas Snape had been risking his life repeatedly, doing something meaningful for the Order. Sirius could only guess how many lies he had been forced to come up with to delude the Death Eaters, having been forced to cover up for such wastes of space as he was. For a brief moment, Sirius wished that he had indeed been sacrificed for the good of the Order.

The two men stood in silence for a good while, looking in opposite directions to keep an eye on the archways.

"So, I guess it's now quite clear it was all a plan, and I should have trusted..." Sirius started awkwardly, not being used to admitting that he had actually been wrong. "I mean, I sort of owe you an... um..."

"There is no need for that," Snape said quickly, not looking at him. "I, if anyone, ought to... Perhaps I took a bit too much pleasure in torturing you, considering a lot less would have sufficed..."

"Yes, it would have," Sirius interrupted him in turn. "But I think Malfoy there" - Sirius pointed at the Death Eaters - "levelled the score already. And I admit it wasn't altogether undeserved. I was such a twat back then, at Hogwarts, and I'm, y'know..."

"As you put it, that was a lifetime ago," Snape continued. "But what I did to you today, in addition to the whipping..."

"Yeah, but..." Sirius started but realised he had no idea what Snape meant. "What?"

Snape turned around, giving Sirius an awkward look, and leant against the side of the table.

"Naturally you lied, as it became evident when you tied me to this..." Snape ran his hand along the wooden surface. "But I believed you all the same, the twit that I am..."

"Lied about what exactly?" Sirius asked, staring bewildered at the man standing next to him.

"Don't toy with me, Black, you know perfectly well what I'm referring to," Snape said, irritated. "All that touching, it was hardly pleasant for you to lie there in chains and have me..." Snape swallowed the rest, but Sirius knew what he was after.

"I didn't lie," Sirius said quietly, not looking at Snape.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Snape turn his head to him, but Sirius kept his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Or I wouldn't have done, y'know, what I did, there, in the other room, would I?" Sirius said, pointing at each of the four archways in turn, not being able to remember which one of them it had been.

"So, that was not just you going slightly mad?"

"No. Yes. That too." Sirius had never realised just how fascinating the dust on the floor could be. "Actually, what you did when I was here," - Sirius tried to pat the table he was sitting on but missed - "That... the touching bit..."

"Yes?"

Never in his life had Sirius felt more uncomfortable. He had always been so sure of himself, but Snape had turned everything upside down with a couple of kisses and a few words, probably spoken in haste. 'You mean I could have been doing this all these years?' Sirius would have to lay it on the line, no matter how badly he might get hurt, or he would spend the rest of his measly life wondering what might have been.

"I sort of liked it."

There, he had said, it was out there and he could never take it back. Sirius closed his eyes, not wanting to see even a glimpse of Snape's face, and held his breath as he waited to hear the sardonic laughter.

"Did you now?" Snape said, not laughing, but there was a touch of smile, definitely audible, in his voice.

"Yeah, and the snogging... It wasn't rubbish." Sirius found it increasingly hard to sit still and he hopped down from the table. "I mean, I'm sure it was better than what the Dementors... Not that I have ever experienced the other, but still..."

Only now did Sirius dare to raise his gaze and meet Snape's smiling eyes.

"Well, we do have over an hour to kill," Snape said, smirking. He lifted his hand but seemed to hesitate for a moment, the hand stopping in mid-air. Then, slowly, he brushed Sirius's cheek, very gently and careful not the touch the cut. "That is, if you would care for some not-so-rubbish snogging."

That was all the encouragement Sirius needed. Like a beast he attacked his prey and pushed Snape onto the table. Sirius was kissing him and biting him wherever he could reach, trying to get as much of Snape inside him as he possibly could.

Snape's sweater was already off, but Sirius was still reluctant to let go of his leather coat.

"It does look nicer on you," Snape breathed as he tried to tear the coat off him. "But 'nice' simply doesn't describe the things I'm going to do to you."

The coat went flying and Sirius landed on his back with Snape on top of him. His hungry mouth moved from Sirius's lips to his ear, down his neck to circle around his nipples and back up again. Sirius dug his teeth deep into Snape's shoulder and reached his hand to grab his arse. He wanted to hurt Snape, to leave his mark on the man, to make him wear nothing but turtlenecks after he was done with him.

"Blimey!" he gasped as he felt Snape's hardness pressing against his own. "Just as I remembered - hung like a donkey!"

"You can't even begin to grasp how much I wanted you when you were lying there chained, that exquisite arse of yours in front of me," Snape whispered, out of breath. "I wanted to have you right there, to tear away those filthy jeans and just take you by force, but I couldn't, I could never do that..."

"I thought you liked my jeans," Sirius muttered between kisses.

"I lied." Snape smiled and Sirius was sure the room lit up. He had forgotten how handsome the man looked when he smiled. Dark, terrifying and incredibly handsome.

"Then do it now," Sirius hissed. "Chain me."

Sirius waited for the surprise to pass over Snape's face before turning onto his stomach and extending his arms over his head. Snape was still not moving and Sirius began to fear he was having second thoughts about the whole thing, but with his cock ready to burst at any moment, Sirius had no pride left.

"Chain me," he repeated. "Please."

To his relief, Sirius felt Snape reach slowly for the chains, snapping them onto his wrists. Then, returning to the other end of the table, Snape pulled down his jeans, and when Sirius felt the warm skin rub against his buttocks, he knew Snape was naked as well. Sirius's back was covered in kisses that grew harder and harder, until Snape bit his teeth into Sirius's arse, making him moan.

Finally the mouth pulled away from him and Sirius's hands clutched at the chains as he prepared to take Snape in. But to his surprise the man leant over him and reached for his wand, which lay on the table right in front of Sirius's frightened eyes.

Black, you twat, he thought, you bloody twat! Snape had done it before, betrayed him before, so what the fuck had made him think this time was any different? Just how thick could you get? His stupidity had certainly earned him the Cruciatus.

"What's that for?" he asked, though knowing the answer. He couldn't stop his voice from trembling slightly.

But Snape stayed quiet, allowing Sirius time to rail at himself some more. He had actually asked the man to chain him. He had asked for it! He was lying there tied up and naked with a Death Eater behind him, who was preparing to kill him in probably quite an excruciating way, and he had no one but himself to blame.

Then Snape pulled away from Sirius and strode around the table to face him. Sirius just stared at the man, standing there with the wand clenched in his fist, not a trace left of that beautiful smile. Finally Snape bent over and started removing the chains.

"What the...?"

"I can't do this," Snape said quietly. "You don't trust me and I can hardly blame you for that. I can't do this if you're still expecting me to kill you."

"Don't be daft, I'm not..." Sirius paused. "Well, it did cross my mind that you might... But I promise to trust you from now on! Please, don't stop, you can't stop now..."

Snape seemed to be weighing it for a while, until he said, "I will not kill you, Black."

"I know, I know," Sirius replied eagerly, putting the chains back onto his wrists himself. "I trust you... believe me, I do." The chains locked onto place. "I trust you, Severus. You can do what you like with me."

The frown started to fade away from Snape's face as he leant down to kiss him.

"Sirius."

His name would never sound the same, Sirius thought and closed his eyes as the kisses moved on to his neck. There would definitely be marks for him to conceal, as well, in the days to come, but none of that meant anything at the moment.

"Fuck me, Severus," he whispered.

Snape pulled back and Sirius watched him hold out his wand and tap his hardened cock with it.

"Lubricio," he mumbled and a clear, thick liquid poured from the tip of the wand and onto his flesh.

"Ah. Right."

So, that was what the wand had been for, Sirius thought and decided to conjure up his own Flamgellum and give himself a good hard whipping when all this was over.

Snape was now behind him again, massaging his arse with both hands, preparing Sirius to take him in. Thinking he would lose his mind if he had to wait a second longer, Sirius wriggled in the chains, pushing his arse against Snape.

"Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?" Snape asked, his cock moving teasingly between Sirius's buttocks. "You never know, this might be just another clever scheme of mine to take your sorry life. Say the word and..."

"I'll say plenty of words if you don't get that cock of yours up my arse _now_!"

With one hard push Snape was inside him and Sirius thought he would simply explode from the sensation. There was more pain than he had remembered, but Sirius would have been willing to endure a whole lot more for the pleasure that followed.

Snape was shagging him with long, slow pushes that seemed to spear his entire body. Sirius's nails dug deep into the wooden table as Snape pushed deeper and deeper into him. Snape gripped his hair, pulling his head back, and as the grip tightened, Sirius felt the flesh pulsate inside him, and Snape let out a stifled groan. His limp body fell on top of Sirius's and for a moment, he feared that the man had fainted.

"That was utterly embarrassing," Snape muttered, lying face down on Sirius's back. "And mind you, I held it back."

"I shudder to think what would have happened if you hadn't," Sirius said, smirking. "So, how about letting me loose so I can try to beat your time?"

Snape straightened up but instead of opening the chains, he grabbed Sirius's legs and rolled him onto his back.

"I recall you saying something about letting me do what I want with you," Snape said, looking more evil than ever. He strolled around the table and stopped right next to Sirius. "And this is something I have wanted to do for longer than I care to remember."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak but was quickly silenced by Snape bending down over his body, his head disappearing somewhere below Sirius's waist.

"For fuck's sake, be careful," breathed Sirius. "You literally need but to blow."

But Snape did not appear too keen to listen as his mouth found Sirius's cock. Sirius couldn't see what was going on down there, but the pleasure was enough to drive him mad. He wanted to grab something, squeeze something, and although Snape's arse was right in front of his face, begging for him to touch it, the chains would not allow it.

With great effort, he managed to lift his head and caught a glimpse of Snape, licking his cock up and down, letting it slide into his mouth and out again. Sirius could not believe his eyes. Severus Snape, licking him, sucking him, and what's more, appearing to enjoy every minute of it.

Noticing he was being watched, Snape turned his head and smiled. The sight of him, rubbing his face with Sirius's cock, was more than Sirius could handle and he let his head fall down with a bang. As Snape's mouth engulfed him yet again, Sirius's entire body tensed, his hips rising off the table, his mouth gasping for air, his hands clutching at the chains, his every muscle quivering in anticipation, until finally he came with a low moan, emptying his lungs until the world blackened in his eyes.

"Black?"

Sirius heard the chains being opened and felt a hand brushing the hair off his face.

"I'm here, I think," Sirius said feebly as he opened his eyes and saw Snape's dark eyes looking down at him. "Told you I could beat you."

"Fourteen years, was it?" Snape asked as he bent down to kiss Sirius, but the taste of himself on Snape's lips was still too strong and Sirius had to pull away.

Snape was evidently a little offended and without a word he started putting his clothes back on. Watching him dress, Sirius was also starting to feel the coldness of the room, which he had been blissfully oblivious only a few minutes ago. Yet he lay there in complete silence for a while, staring at the ceiling, enjoying the smell of sex and leather that was in the air.

Severus Snape had just shagged him! Sirius wanted to shout out the words to make them sink in. It was already starting to feel like a dream, unreal and unbelievable. After all those years he had found out that Severus Snape had fancied him, too. Maybe not to the extent Sirius had, but enough to get it up for him, to shag him, to suck him. Sirius had to control himself not to laugh out loud.

"Look here, Black," Snape said and pulled Sirius back from his thoughts, "there's no need for anyone to know about this, is there?"

"No, of course not," Sirius said quickly.

The easy feeling was gone and he felt awkward, lying there naked in front of Snape. 'No need for anyone to know...' What the hell did the man think? That he was going start parading through the streets with a sign saying 'I shagged Severus Snape'? Grimacing at Snape's back, Sirius pushed himself up and started putting on his clothes quite hastily.

"We got trapped in here and spent two hours glaring at each other, probably throwing a few derogatory remarks every now and then," Sirius said and yanked the T-shirt over his head, only to find he had it on backwards. In his mind he was cursing both Snape and himself; the former for being the twat that he was and the latter for thinking the man could ever be anything else. "Nothing worth shouting from the rooftops, eh?"

"It would scarcely be in my favour were it known that I have abandoned a lifelong habit of hating you," Snape said coldly. "Nor in yours, I expect."

"Who says I don't hate you?" Sirius snapped. In fact, he did not think he had ever hated Snape more than at that very moment. Having regrets was one thing, but worrying that this little indiscretion of his would tarnish his good reputation was quite another. "No, I don't think it would be in your favour if I told everyone that you chained me to a table, whipped me with a Flamgellum and then shagged me."

Snape still had his back turned to him, but Sirius could hear his heavy breathing and knew he had managed to hit the spot. Slowly Snape turned around, his dark eyes burning with more than anger.

"So, that is how you see it?" Snape asked between his clenched teeth. "Why, of course you do. And that is precisely how everyone else will see it. No one will ever believe that you willingly..." Snape cleared his throat. "I suppose you are pleased that you now have this power over me? Just one word to Dumbledore and..."

"Fucking hell!" Sirius shouted. "I asked for it, didn't I? I wanted it and I thought you did, too! But obviously it was all just bollocks! Sorry, mate, you can't take it back, but you can bloody well trust me to keep quiet about your fornications!"

"Do correct me if I'm wrong, but was it not you who suddenly felt so disgusted?"

Sirius stared at him, unable to speak. So, that's what was eating Snape; that he had pulled away from him after the sex. Sirius still maintained that the man was a twat.

"For your information, I don't particularly enjoy the taste of my own... you know," Sirius said, taking his shirt off to turn it over. "But don't you worry. No need to tell anyone anything, because _nothing happened_!" he spat out the last words straight in Snape's face. If he had only been twenty years younger, Sirius would have given him the finger.

Sulking, Sirius turned away, but from the corner of his eye, he could see Snape standing there, glaring at him. Determined not to give a toss about the man anymore, Sirius kept fiddling with the shirt, pretending to search for the neck.

Then he heard Snape clear his throat and defiantly Sirius turned to face him.

"How odd," said Snape, his lip curving slightly. "I could have sworn something did, and I even recall it being rather enjoyable."

Hearing this, Sirius knew what was needed. In fact, Snape was practically begging for it.

"What time is it?" he asked casually, holding the shirt up as if to check whether it had any neck at all.

"We still have a quarter of an hour," Snape said and pocketed his watch.

"That should be enough," Sirius said, grinning, and tossed the shirt to the floor.

Without warning, Sirius grabbed Snape's head between his hands and pressed his mouth over his, rubbing himself shamelessly against Snape's body and growing harder by the minute. After the initial surprise, Snape responded to the kiss and Sirius felt his hands move down his bare back, pulling him into deeper embrace.

But there was no time to waste and with one swift move, Snape was face down on the table and Sirius was pulling his jeans down once more.

"No need to mention this, either, eh?" Sirius whispered wryly and, pointing the wand at his cock, he added, "Lubricio."

There was a tiny drop of something, glistening at the end of the wand, but nothing more.

"Lubricio!" Sirius tried again, with even poorer results.

As he was just about to try once more, another wand appeared in front of him.

"Lubricio," came Snape's voice and the liquid poured out of his wand tip. Sirius caught a glimpse of a smirk before Snape turned his back to him.

With a vengeance Sirius pushed him hard onto the table, shoved his coat aside and tore down his trousers. Grabbing his arse with one hand, Sirius thrust himself straight into Snape, and there was a part of him that enjoyed hearing the man groan from the pain. Wanting to savour the moment, Sirius just stood there for a while, enjoying the tightness around his flesh for the first time in years. Then, with short, quick pushes he banged himself against Snape, faster and faster, until he felt his muscles tightening, his legs shaking, and then he was the one groaning.

"Sorry, mate, couldn't help myself," Sirius whispered, pulling out of Snape. "I tell you, it's that bloody coat of yours, makes you so fucking irresistible."

"Just the coat?" Snape mumbled, still face down on the table.

"Or it could be your charming personality," Sirius said, buttoning his jeans. "I owe you one."

"You most certainly do," Snape said, getting up, his face burning red. He grabbed Sirius by the arm and pulled him closer. "I expect you feel that."

Sirius nodded gravely and pressed harder against Snape's groin. The dark eyes bored into his, begging him to touch the hardened cock. The urge to just kneel down and suck him was overpowering, but Sirius knew better and almost wished Snape had never been inside him.

"Give me half an hour to have a go at Moody and to bribe Buckbeak to guard the door, and meet me in the shower," Sirius whispered, his lips only inches away from Snape's. "I'll give your cock a cleansing you couldn't even imagine."

"Make that an hour," Snape said, out of breath. "There are a few sentiments I need to share with Moody, as well."

With a wicked grin on his face, Sirius pulled away and bent over to pick up his shirt. But as he lowered himself, he felt Snape move behind him and, consequently, it took Sirius rather long to lift the shirt.

"On second thought, perhaps half an hour will suffice," Snape said, his hands starting to caress Sirius's arse. In a low voice he mumbled, "Exquisite, simply exquisite..."

As Sirius straightened himself, Snape pressed harder against his back, his breath burning Sirius's neck. It took him every ounce of self-control to keep him from tearing his jeans off and letting Snape shag him one last time. But painfully aware that their time was running up, he spun around and gave Snape a kiss so violent that he tasted blood.

"Half an hour," Sirius repeated. "Bathroom."

Snape nodded and reluctantly Sirius let him out of his hold. He reached for the Portkey, lying on the table, and handed it over to Snape. In silence, they waited for the last minutes to pass.

Then, suddenly, Sirius let out a curse and rushed to the heap of Death Eaters.

"Quick, help me! We can't leave him here," Sirius said as he dragged Wormtail away from the others. "He's not getting away from me again."

"No, Black," Snape said firmly. "Dumbledore specifically forbade that. We mustn't touch him."

"Of course we must!" Sirius shouted, amazed. "He's my ticket to freedom! We'll turn him in and..."

"And then what? The Ministry will be nothing but pleased for his miraculous survival and in a blink of an eye you will be back in Azkaban. The law is not on our side, not anymore. And we cannot kill Stunned wizards, either."

"But..." Sirius was staring down at Peter Pettigrew, the man that had murdered his best friends and stolen twelve years of his life. "I can't just..."

"We will catch him, and when we do, he will be made to pay dearly," said Snape calmly, "but for now, there's nothing we can do."

Sirius lifted Wormtail's head and glared at the lifeless face. He never should have let him go, should have killed him almost a year ago when he had had the chance. Juddering with fury he raised his foot and aimed a good, hard kick straight into Wormtail's groins.

"You just wait, you bastard, you just wait," he hissed and let Wormtail's head drop to the floor.

"Sirius," Snape said softly. "Come."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sirius walked back to Snape who was holding out the Sports section.

"I'm not a dog, you know," he snarled. "I may be able to turn myself into one, but I'm not one." Sirius took a hold of the Portkey and added emphatically, "Severus."

"Of course you're not, Sirius." Snape's grin was more evil than ever. "But if you are a good boy, I might teach you the Lubricatus Spell, and perhaps a few other tricks."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but right at that moment the time ran out and the Portkey hurled them back to the back alley of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

- THE END -

('Flamgellum' is my unimaginative combination of the words flamma, -ae (a flame; fire) and flagellum, - (a whip, lash). And I think 'Lubricatus' is obvious enough...;)

All comments are warmly welcome!

Love, Kleio


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